PBR Pick ‘Em Morning Line – Chicago Round 1 & 15/15 Bucking Battle
By: Slade Long
Round 1:
Dalton Kasel on 87C Sun Country:
Kasel was 88.75 points on this bull in Tulsa back in 2019. Sun Country is a four-year veteran who has consistently been friendly to left-handed riders; he’s 9-11 against lefties in his career. He doesn’t deliver a lot of round wins, but most guys who get a score on him do end up in the Top 5 in the round. Kasel did win the round on him in their last meeting.
Boudreaux Campbell on 522 Vertigo Spy:
This is one of the nicest to ride bulls in the business. He is much stronger against left-handed guys, and he consistently goes to the right. Campbell is quite a bit better on bulls that go into his hand, but most riders here should get along with Vertigo Spy regardless of which hand they ride with.
Claudio Montanha Jr. on 509 Yatesy Down Under:
This bull doesn’t have much experience, but he’s been ridden five times in eight career outs. That’s extremely rideable for bulls at this level. Yatesy has been missing in action for a little while. The last time he saw action was in Chicago in January of 2020.
Derek Kolbaba on 227 Buckeye Bill:
Kolbaba was 90 points on this bull way back in 2017. Buckeye Bill fits left-handed riders better, but he’s not easy. For the past four years, he hasn’t been ridden more than twice in a season.
Kyler Oliver on 3 Stunt Man Ray:
Oliver is the new No. 1 rider in the world after winning New York. He has a pretty good draw in Round 1 and a really good draw in the 15/15, so things are looking up for him. This bull typically goes to the right and is ridden by right-handed riders way more often. But what makes him rideable – great timing and an honest nature – has allowed Jess Lockwood, Chase Outlaw and other lefties to post big scores on him.
Mauricio Moreira on 510 Red Solo Cup:
Another bull here without much experience, and one that we haven’t seen in two whole seasons. Moreira is a huge favorite because Red Solo Cup has been ridden in three of his five career outs.
Mason Taylor on 169 Sky Harbor:
The numbers say Taylor is at a big disadvantage here, but they may be lying. Sky Harbor has a strong record against right-handed guys, but his style fits Taylor. He has a lot of up and down and not as much spin, and Taylor has a lot of big rides against bulls like this – even going away from his hand. This is definitely a matchup to watch.
Silvano Alves on 520C @PBR On TikTok:
Alves bucked off this bull about a year ago, but he shouldn’t have. TikTok is vulnerable to right-handed riders, and he’s been ridden five times in his last seven outs. Alves is riding well right now and should easily handle this bull.
15/15 Round
Kaique Pacheco on 604 Marquis Metal Works Coriolis Effect
Coriolis Effect is a tough draw for anyone at 7-0 against right-handed guys and 23-1 overall. Joao Ricardo Vieira is the only man to have ridden him, and that was back in the summer of 2020. Most of the right-handed guys who have tried him didn’t get to the four-second mark. He’s a really strong bull and one of the most difficult bulls going right now.
Boudreaux Campbell on W600 Marquis Metal Works Red Clark:
This could be a good matchup for Campbell. Red Clark went the first year and a half of his career without being ridden, but he’s now been ridden in two of his last three outs by left-handed guys. The one buckoff was Daylon Swearingen at the World Finals, but he didn’t come down until the 7.68-second mark.
Mauricio Moreira on 117 Dennis the Menace:
This is another really impressive but extremely hard-to-ride bull. He’s 13-0 in his career and was the talk of the town in Vegas after posting a 47.25-point bull score in Round 2 of the World Finals, throwing off Boudreaux Campbell. He narrowly missed being the high-marked bull of the World Finals because Woopaa beat him by a hair. This is one bull every guy here was hoping NOT to draw.
Cole Melancon on 442 Blue Crush:
Melancon will have his hands full with a tough and unpredictable bull. Blue Crush is 2-2 against Jose Vitor Leme over the past few years. Not many bulls can hold their own against Leme over four matchups.
Keyshawn Whitehorse on 500 The Punisher:
We don’t see this bull very often, but he’s been ridden a few times by right-handed guys. Slice of Heaven only had three outs last season, but he threw off Jess Lockwood and Marco Eguchi, and he got Chase Outlaw last week in New York.
Chase Outlaw on 628 Drago:
Drago has only given up two rides in his 34-out career – most recently by Jose Vitor Leme in Cheyenne, Wyoming, last summer. He’s a tough matchup for anyone and one of the most difficult bulls in the PBR.
Manoelito de Souza Junior on F16 Choc Tease:
Cord McCoy picked up this bull from Andrews Rodeo recently. He’s been around for a few years on the pro rodeo trail and has faced a lot of good riders, but has only been ridden a couple of times in 30 career outs. He made his UTB debut in Fort Worth last August, throwing off Junior Patrik Souza and Claudio Montanha Jr.
Austin Richardson on 622 High Brow Cat:
Richardson had this bull in Nashville last August and didn’t get him ridden, but Kaique Pacheco was 92.25 points on him at the World Finals. High Brow Cat is another bull from the rodeo world but is 13-2 at the UTB level now.
Andrew Alvidrez on 262 Oilfield Outlaw’s Yellow Feather:
Everyone has a decent enough chance against this bull, but he’s really strong and tends to overpower guys. He’s only given up two rides in 22 career outs and denied Chase Outlaw in his only out so far this season.
Dalton Kasel on 524C Mezcal:
Kasel bucked off this bull just last week, but he’s only the latest of Mezcal’s victims. This bull came over from pro rodeo at the beginning of 2021 and just ran through everyone he faced last year while posting a lot of 45-plus-point bull scores. He’s similar to Dennis the Menace in that he comes with a huge jump right out the chute. He can cover some ground with it, but not always. He overpowers most guys with his first jump and gets a lot of quick buckoffs.
Dener Barbosa on 507C Bentley:
This looks like the best matchup in the round for probability of a qualified ride. Bentley is really good, but he’s vulnerable to lefties. Kyler Oliver clinched the win on him in New York last week with 91 points, and Joao Ricardo Vieira took him for 89.25 points at the World Finals. This is a great draw in this pen for a left-handed rider.
Daylon Swearingen on 527 Preacher’s Kid:
Preacher’s Kid is 28-3 in his career, and for good reason. There is nothing nice about him. He’s highly unpredictable and can be strong. The few guys who have ridden him made it look like a struggle because it was a struggle. This is a very tough bull and would be a heavy favorite against any rider in the world except Cooper Davis, who is 2-for-2 on him.
Mason Taylor on 55 Pookie Holler:
Pookie Holler is 26-3 overall, and all three of those rides came as the 2021 season was winding down. He was busy last year as well, with 20 outs on the year, and traveled from Florida to Utah and all points in between. After a rest, he looked really strong again in Indianapolis, throwing off Keyshawn Whitehorse and posting the third-highest bull score there.
Joao Ricardo Vieira on 449 WSM’s Jive Turkey:
Vieira bucked off this bull in Nampa, Idaho, last spring, but he does have a chance. Jive Turkey typically goes to the left, and Vieira is great on bulls that go into his hand. This one does have a lot of power and doesn’t allow any rider to make a mistake and get away with it.
Kyler Oliver on 57 Diddy Wa Diddy:
For the level of bulls in this round, Oliver really couldn’t have drawn any better. Diddy Wa Diddy is a high-caliber bull, but he likes the left, he’s honest, and he’s been ridden by half the lefties who have ever tried him. Oliver has a real chance to extend his lead in the standings here.
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